Bordeaux 5-day Itinerary

Bordeaux’s enormous Gothic Cathedrale Saint-Andre is the city’s most majestic medieval landmark; the church dates back to 814 AD, but it was predominantly constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries. Don’t miss the sculptures of the Porte Royale and a climb up the Tour Pey-Berland belltower for a bird’s-eye view over the city centre.

Designed by the great Parisian architect Victor Louis (1731-1800), this neo-classical beauty features 12 columns with twelves statues, representing the nine muses and three goddesses. It’s equally grand inside, with heart-stopping frescoes and a grand staircase. First inaugurated in 1780, today’s it’s home to the National Opera of Bordeaux.

Set on a crescent-shaped bend in the Garonne, Bordeaux’s riverfront port is a work of art. The kilometre-long, UNESCO-listed façade of 18th-century buildings by Jacques Gabriel is breathtakingly illuminated after nightfall. The stunning Place de la Bourse is reflected in an enormous mirror of water from 900 misting jets.

This beautiful monument was built in 1494 as a triumphal arch to commemorate Charles VIII’s victory at Fornovo. It was later integrated into the city walls and today forms one of the gates to the old city from the port. You can go inside for an exhibition on how it was built, and for views from the tower.

Although it only opened in 2017, this vast new food hall by Wine City has become one of the most popular foodie hangouts in the city, with a mix of stalls run by farmers, chefs and producers.

Bordeaux’s world-famous Grands Crus are expensive, so you want to be sure you’re buying a wine you really like. At this high-tech wine gallery, you can sample a sip from 48 of the finest bottles – each of which has been allowed to breathe to perfection.

Designed by Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazieres, Bordeaux’s spectacular Cite du Vin opened in 2016 – its curvaceous, spiralling 55m glass tower evoking wine swirling in a glass. Far more than simply a wine museum, it offers a total, immersive wine experience, packed with 19 permanent exhibits that tickle all five senses.

This fascinating, in-depth, high-tech history of winemaking around the world culminates in the building’s spectacular rooftop belvedere, where guests can join in with a wine tasting. The frequent, changing exhibits make the Cite du Vin just as popular with the Bordelais locals as with visitors to the city.

The architecturally-striking building, designed by architects XTU, ‘does not resemble any recognizable shape because it is an evocation of the soul of wine between the river and the city.’

Since 1825, the ornate rococo dining room and glassed-in garden have welcomed the beau monde of Bordeaux and the world, with a formidable wine list to choose from, famous for classic cuisine and over 200 wines by the glass.

A must-see for wine lovers from around the world, Bordeaux’s fabled wine estates are fascinating to explore.

There’s plenty to discover (and taste): the region is divided into 57 appellations, with over 8,500 wineries (or châteaux) producing some 800 million bottles a year.

Some 89 percent of these are red wines, including the legendary, stratospherically priced Grands Crus or ‘First Growths’ of the Médoc, Graves and Saint-Emilion. Meanwhile, the sweet, golden Sauternes rules the whites.

Europe’s biggest sand pile, the Dune du Pilat (or ‘du Pyla’) towers near the mouth of Arcachon Bay.

Standing 107m high, stretching 6km in length and with a volume of 20 million cubic metres of sand, it’s an extraordinary sight.

The view from the top is breathtaking, too – on a clear day you can see all the way to the Pyrenees. After, cool off on Pyla-sur-Mer’s golden-sand beach.

This compelling history museum is home to over 1.3 million artefacts that document the history of Bordeaux and the entire Aquitaine region, from prehistory (including Paleolithic Art and the Lascaux Cave) to the modern day.

Inside the elegant Palais Rohan, the museum displays works by some of Europe’s finest painters, including Titian, Perugino, Rubens and Van Dyck, as well as famous local artists from various periods.

The south wing is devoted to art from the 16th to 18th centuries, and the north wing focuses on the 19th and 20th centuries.

This museum is the only one of its kind in France: exhibits cover the history of customs and taxes, including smugglers and counterfeiters. The bizarre mix of fascinating curiosities – including maps, musical instruments and opium pipes – date back to the 18th century.

Set in a striking, 19th-century vaulted warehouse, the groundbreaking CAPC houses one of France’s most important collections of modern and contemporary art, collected from around the world.

The museum’s diverse program features temporary exhibitions, installations, performances, and multimedia works, fostering a vibrant and ever-evolving cultural dialogue. The CAPC’s Permanent Collection features a diverse range of artworks from renowned artists. The collection spans various mediums and styles, providing insight into the evolution of contemporary art over time. It also hosts temporary exhibitions on specific themes.

With a focus on promoting emerging artists and pushing the boundaries of artistic practices, CAPC offers a thought-provoking and immersive experience that celebrates the evolving nature of contemporary art.

Bordeaux’s Musee des Arts Decoratifs contains a series of period rooms from different design eras, filled with historic objects and artefacts, offering an insight into aristocratic living in the last two centuries. It’s set in an immaculately-preserved, 18th-century Bordeaux mansion – one of the most beautiful townhouses in Bordeaux.

Exceptional wine bar in an 18th-century prow-shaped townhouse run by the Bordeaux Wine Council, with 30 wines by the glass served by knowledgeable young wine students, along with cheeses, cold meats and chocolates.

This beautiful hill town produces some of France’s finest red wines, in rolling hills so well-tended over the centuries – a region deliminated by Edward I in 1289 and unchanged to this day.

In 1999 UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site as ‘an outstanding example of a historic vineyard landscape that has survived intact and in activity until the present day.’

Besides Saint-Emilion’s pale stone beauty, its vines and its wines, there’s plenty to see: historic churches and cloisters, town walls and towers, and lovely squares – not to mention a fine array of boutiques, wine bars and restaurants.

Some of its star attractions are underground – from wine cellars to a unique 12th-century church.

A short drive – or long walk – through the vines from the historic town of Saint-Emilion, this classic 16th-century manor house is part of the prestigious Chateau Franc Mayne wine estate.

It’s a rural idyll with tons of character – there are pretty gardens and chic design rooms – including the woodsy Perchoir, perched up in an ancient cedar tree – and lovely views of the vines in every direction.

Beautifully landscaped gardens and a chemical-free swimming pool, cleaned by algae, give it a back-to-nature feel, but there’s luxury in the free wine tastings and tour of the Chateau’s ancient quarry cellars, as well as delicious breakfasts in the elegant dining room or on the terrace.

If you fancy a trip to Bordeaux city, it’s 40 minutes’ drive away. It is, however, a great base for exploring Bordeaux’s wine regions; the hotel hires out mountain bikes for leisurely explorations of picturesque Saint-Emilion’s vineyards.

Known as the ‘Sistine Chapel’ of Palaeolithic art, the Lascaux Caves were painted around 17,000 BC. The breathtakingly sophisticated polychrome paintings of bison, horses, reindeer and aurochs demonstrate a keen eye for perspective and movement.

Sadly, the cave had to be closed in 1963 because of the damage caused by carbon dioxide in visitors’ breath. A partial replica, Lascaux II, opened in 1983, and in 2016 a complete replica, Lascaux IV, opened as part of Montignac’s high-tech International Centre of Parietal Art.